How to Failure Test Your Cycling, Training, and Diet

To put it simply, if you think you’re doing everything right but can’t build muscle or lose fat… chances are you aren’t doing everything right. You know what they say about the definition of insanity being someone “who tries the same thing multiple times yet expects a different result”. This sort of mentality is seen in a lot of bodybuilding, so if you’re struggling to achieve short, medium, or long term goals you should take a look at this simple questionnaire:

When is the last time you examined your training protocol? When is the last time you had another experienced lifter take a look at it? When is the last time you either went to failure on a lift or left the gym with a full pump in the body part you were training?

If the answer to the first two questions is more than six months or the latter two is more than a week: You probably need to seriously re-examine your training.

Do you have a go to cycle or go to compounds? Do you stick to long or short esters exclusively? Do you run 1g of test or more with other compounds as well and are not trying to win your pro-card

Why? Cycles should be based on effectiveness and minimal side effects, not arbitrary preference. Why don’t you try switching esters? What changes do you notice? Why are you taking NPC Nationals levels of anabolics and still reading an article on how to make sure your training, cycling, and diet are on point? If you haven’t asked any of those questions, seriously examining them as well as talking to me personally as a coach should help a lot in terms of figuring out what you may be doing wrong.

Have you tried to cut and not achieved your goal body fat loss or lost too much muscle along the way? Do you keep trying to bulk but can’t seem to gain weight?

Chances are that the issue is entirely with you. Metabolism and thermodynamic release do function slightly differently between individuals, but if you’re eating adequate protein (1-1.5g/lb bodyweight) and training hard and not gaining weight, you need to eat more, plain and simple. Pick easy meals and eat them fast before the leptin response makes you feel too full. The opposite applies for permabulkers. If you can’t lose body fat, then you need to cut your carbs and eat less calories overall. Total calories are the king when it comes to weight loss or weight gain. That said, small changes are far superior to large jumps. Stick to increasing/decreasing 5% total calories when you’re not seeing a change you want to see for minimizing body fat overall and allowing your metabolism to catch up.

It really is almost always that simple, but it’s understandably difficult to point a microscope at yourself, which is why coaching services are so useful, in that they provide a coach to give you ongoing feedback and make sure that you aren’t making any of the common mistakes mentioned above.

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Nick Trigili is a respected IFBB Pro bodybuilder and trainer. Check him out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more informative content. Also make sure to visit his official personal training website – World Class Trainers.